Battlefield Barrens: Zone Changes and Acquiring Kor'kron Items

Patch 5.3 introduces a new world event, Battlefield Barrens, that explores the conflict between the Alliance, Horde, and Garrosh. There's a ton of stuff to do and collect as part of this event--but it's only around for a limited amount of time.

Escorting Caravans

Different races escort the caravans depending on where they are headed to. For example, Astranaar sentinels escort the caravan going to Ashenvale, Northwatch dwarves escort the caravan going to Ratchet.

The longer you stay with a caravan, the more stacks of Caravan Escort you'll get, which stacks up to 10.

Upon successfully escorting a caravan, you will get Surplus Supplies which contains varying quantities of all four Kor'kron supplies.

When a caravan begins its trip, or is destroyed by the Kor'kron, there will be a zone-wide notification. However, it will not appear on your minimap unless you are close by.

Map

Routes

Alliance-only routes are blue, Horde-only routes are red, routes for both factions are green.

Alliance:

Dreadmist Peak > Mor'shan Rampart

Dry Hills > Mor'shan Rampart

Thorn Hill > Ratchet

Stagnant Oasis > Ratchet

Sludge Fen > Mor'shan Rampart

Wailing Caverns > West Road

Forgotten Pools > West Road

Horde:

Sludge Fen > Durotar

Southern Barrens > Crossroads

Ratchet > Crossroads

Dry Hills > West Road

Stagnant Oasis > Ratchet

Wailing Caverns > West Road

Grol'dom Farm > Far Watch Post

Northern Barrens

The Kor'kron has a greatly increased presence in Northern Barrens. The Kor'kron has marred the Northern Barrens with several encampments: a slaughterhouse, lumber camp, oil refinery, and elemental quarry.

With the addition of level 90 mobs in an otherwise low-level zone, there are some new zone drops:

Freeze-Dried Hyena Jerky: If you spend at least 10 seconds eating you will move more quickly while in the Northern Barrens for 1 hour.

Scorpion Crunchies: If you spend at least 10 seconds eating you will deal more damage while in the Northern Barrens for 1 hour.

K.R.E.: If you spend at least 10 seconds eating you will take less damage while in the Northern Barrens for 1 hour.

Durotar

The Darkspear Trolls, led by Vol'jin, have also declared open rebellion against Garrosh's regime. Sen'jin Village has many more troll guards and Razor Hill, once Escalation quests are completed, is taken over by the Darkspear.

In addition, trolls are held captive in cages, surrounded by the Kor'kron, right outside Orgrimmar.

Horde in Vale of Eternal Blossoms

Garrosh has started digging in the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, marring a sacred area.

Taran Zhu is not amused and orders Sunwalker Dezco to evacuate the Horde from Pandaria:Taran Zhu: Tauren! What have your people done! You have dredged open a scar within our sacred Vale!Sunwalker Dezco: Lord Zhu, please understand - the orc "Warchief" who ordered the deed no longer speaks for the whole of the Horde. Many voices are rising up against him.Taran Zhu: Your politics are no concern of mine. Your Horde has disrespected the sanctity of this place. You are no longer welcome here - leave at once!Sunwalker Dezco: Give us time, Lord Zhu. Give us the opportunity to bring Hellscream to justice.Taran Zhu: Sunwalker, I respect your people. You have aided us in our campaign against the Sha and the Thunder King. Otherwise, I would've already ordered the Shado-Pan to purge this entire shrine. But my patience is at an end. The Horde must leave.Taran Zhu stares grimply into the distance.Taran Zhu: Very Well, You have until season's end. No longer.Taran Zhu: We pandaren are no strangers to dealing with tyrants..The coming battle will try your souls. May the celestials guide your actions.

Possible Loot

Many ilvl 476 items were datamined yesterday that are drops from killing elites such as the Kor'kron Motivator. You'll first loot a Latent Kor'kron item, which can then be infused with a Radical Mojo to create a spec-appropriate epic with a rebellion-themed name.

Comments

Comment by Nightreaper

I hope we can revert the land outside to pre 5.3, at least in pandaria. Such a big digsite will be a thorn in my eyes in the vale..

Exactly what I want as well, that will really annoy me if that's permanent...

Comment by Rainemard

on 2013-03-26T18:50:33-05:00

My friend wowmartiean found the image I added to the top of the article--I feel compelled to point out that there was 0 photoshopping involved. It's over in the south-east part of Vale on the PTR o.O

LOL

"How the (drunken) Pandaren stole Winter Veil"

Comment by Druuids1405

on 2013-03-26T18:53:05-05:00

Beautiful.... just brilliance... i love the new mounts , pets, and Other updated zones! Wow has been The Most Best Mmo/ rpg/ or mmorpg i have ever played.... I LOVE THE NEW UPDATES! if you want to check it out 5.3, download PTR = Public Test Realm. :)

Comment by link55557

on 2013-03-26T18:56:16-05:00

VOL'JIN FOR WARCHEIF.

I swear by the Old and New gods, if Vol'jin doesn't become warcheif... >:|

At this point, it really looks like it could either be Lor'thamir or Vol'jin who take the mantle (but I'm also keeping myself mostly spoiler free, so I could be wrong-ity wrong.)

unless it becomes a council like how the dwarves have their politics set up.

I very much want this to happen. Garrosh showed us what one absolute leader can do, and we need to make sure that never happens again.

Comment by jobo98

on 2013-03-26T18:57:56-05:00

So uhh, no one has commented on this, but wtf is up with the monk set? its ugly as @#$%, i hope blizzard changes it to be atleast a little bit cooler...

Comment by scmucas2001

on 2013-03-26T18:58:06-05:00

allied themselves with Vol'jin and the Darkspear Rebellion

Not that I will, because I'm loving Vol'jin, but does this mean we can ally with Garrosh and his goons?

Comment by HaoshiMonk

on 2013-03-26T19:01:11-05:00

It makes me want to punch Garrosh for ruining the Vale. >:I

Comment by perculia

on 2013-03-26T19:03:10-05:00

I don't think you can actually ally with him--what I meant is that the new NPCs just start yelling at you and accusing you of betraying the real Horde as soon as you get close to them.

Comment by Rafekee

on 2013-03-26T19:04:59-05:00

I hope the raid on Orgrimmar will have an end cinematic of Vol'jin shooting an arrow straight into Garrosh's chest and then Vol'jin walks over to Garrosh in his last moments and whispers " I be sayin' I'd be da one who be piercin' ya black heart." and then Garrosh dies.

Comment by JodiLane

on 2013-03-26T19:09:22-05:00

I play mostly Alliance as my main is NE Hunter and I love the Alliance. I find it hard to play my Horde characters with how wacko Garrosh is! Even I, a true Alliance, cannot wait to see a new Warchief and I certainly hope it's Vol'jin. He's perfect for it. It's too bad we can't vote! ;o) Even though I mostly play Alliance side, I still can appreciate a good leader for the Horde. I can't wait to see how this unfolds...and honestly, at first, when I saw this post I thought it was an April Fools Day joke...

Comment by sortudo

on 2013-03-26T19:18:45-05:00

Begone Horde scum, the Alliance shall have Pandaria!

And our honorable and beautiful Horde is EVIL? We don't want Pandaria, Pandaria is for the Pandarens, we help the people there and make their lives more fortunate.

So, the all good and benevolent Alliance (who have in it all the traitors since the Dawn of the world) comes, and speak of having Pandaria? Only someone really fool, or really dumb would join the Alliance, a nest of nefarious and evil, corrupted governors. We have Garrosh, such an evil individual, and his bloodlust, so we want to rebel and take the power out of his hands. What YOU ALLIANCE do with your war and blood lover, Varian Wrynn? You blindly follow him into ruin.

The Alliance is a shame to all the good races of Azeroth, having brought innumerous setbacks to the world.

So, i say to you my good brothers and sisters of the Horde, let's show to those filthy, corrupted imbeciles why we live and die by the words "LOK'TAR OGAR".

Comment by Glorfindel180

on 2013-03-26T19:22:03-05:00

Please just put up the Siege of Orgrimmar raid already, so we can end the rule of this idiot...

As a Blood Elf fan I would like Lor'Themar as the new warchief!

(or....anyone besides Garrosh would do anyway....even Riko or basic campfire)

Comment by bloodpaw

on 2013-03-26T19:40:07-05:00

HORDE IS EVIL WAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! that's all I hear from you alliance lol! I love being horde, stop acting like your all the good guys cause your not! XD

Comment by Neirshal

on 2013-03-26T19:41:16-05:00

Please just put up the Siege of Orgrimmar raid already, so we can end the rule of this idiot...

As a Blood Elf fan I would like Lor'Themar as the new warchief!

(or....anyone besides Garrosh would do anyway....even Riko or basic campfire)

Basic Campfire for Warchief!

Comment by lokuv

on 2013-03-26T19:41:44-05:00

...I find it hard to play my Horde characters with how wacko Garrosh is! Even I, a true Alliance, cannot wait to see a new Warchief and I certainly hope it's Vol'jin. He's perfect for it. It's too bad we can't vote! ;o) ......

Genius idea.! It would be absolutely awesome if we the players could vote for the next Warchief, really influence the World...of Warcraft.

Comment by woodford079

on 2013-03-26T19:50:27-05:00

And our honorable and beautiful Horde is EVIL?

#1. Orcs - slaughtered the Draenei in outland in cold blood. They have also killed countless humans, night elves and other races for their conquest.

#2. Forsaken - these monsters don't care for anyone and would stab their own mother in the back if they thought it would benefit them. They nuke, poison and destroy everything they come in contact with.

#3. Blood Elves - equivalent of crack addicts with magic. Their beloved Queen is the one that caused the first sundering.

I believe that for the most part the Trolls and Tauren are good. The Goblins are just greedy gold diggers.

But YES I would absolutely say that the Horde not as a whole but as a good majority is evil.

Comment by bilguun83

on 2013-03-26T19:52:35-05:00

It deeply saddens me that horde i used to love is turning into bad guys. Blizzard why u messing up with heroes? Who will be next bad guy? Cycle never dies. I don't understand why? Hero becomes evil can't u find something more?

Comment by CaoimheX

on 2013-03-26T19:53:19-05:00

Noooooooooooooooooooooo, why did Garrosh ruin such a beautiful area. T-T

Orcs find beauty in the gore of the battlefield and the brutality of an axe. The nature of orcs is to make war. They make war so that they can make more war. Conquest is what drives them. Peace is an intolerable concept, and their idea of honour is splitting someone's skull from the front. Orcs do not share in our accepted concepts of beauty.

Consider what they, or the goblins, might do to Silvermoon if given half a chance.

I believe that for the most part the Trolls and Tauren are good.

Yes. I'd not be surprised if they were ashamed to be associated with the Horde. I would be, if I wasn't strictly Alliance.

Comment by spiny64

on 2013-03-26T19:59:36-05:00

Woah, it all seems to be developing very nice.... VERY nice indeed.

Now is the time my fellow Alliance... we shall ally with the Shado-Pan and... well, you know. He he he :P

And I'm sorry to tell you Hordies, but better look for a new leader b'cause Vol'Jin will DIE.... plain and simple. It would be too stereotypical if he leads the Horde to rebellion, kills the Tyrant, and becomes the new leader... And also, no Thrall come backs, this is a plot twist that should blow people's minds, and not fall into what's expected!

... or maybe Thrall sacrifices himself to save Vol'Jin... that could make sense too.

What really makes me wonder is the Black Prince's motive... or could he become.... NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT! :P

Comment by woodford079

on 2013-03-26T20:13:04-05:00

Don’t worry Hordies after this is all over we will set Garrosh’s head on a pike outside of Storwind and make a great monument to our Alliance victory to commiserate this great moment in history. The Alliance cares not who claims the Caves and Sewers you horde call a city. Let Garrosh be an example of what happens when you cross the Alliance!